Author: Real Tour Vision

BIO

Our virtual tour providers and realtor clients all began where you are right now. They researched different property marketing solutions, worked out the numbers, and ultimately made the logical business decision to use the RTV virtual tour system to drive their virtual tour company or enhance their online real estate listings.

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RTV is happy to announce that Gerry Efinger of Manitou Springs, Colorado has achieved T4 photography certification. RTV created the T4 program to establish a recognizable credential for real estate photographers to show that they have experience and are able to produce consistent quality work. Photographers must be able to produce spherical and cylindrical panoramas as well as be approved for Google Street View | Trusted photo shoots.

Gerry prides himself in producing the highest quality work and uses the latest techniques and technologies to that end. His clients can see the difference and give him great feedback such as “The quality and professionalism are above and beyond my expectations” and “His photos are magical”

Gerry Efinger Photography is located in Manitou Springs and serves a large portion of Colorado including Southern Denver, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. If you need a professional virtual tour produced for your business give Gerry a call today!

Congratulations on achieving T4 status Gerry. You have worked hard and you deserve it.

Sandy Rybka owner of Summit 360 Virtual Tours saw the need for professional real estate photography first hand while in the market for a new home. The photos used to market and sell the houses lacked the visual appeal to spark the interest of potential buyers. Sandy turned her passion for photography into a successful business, using RTV’s virtual tour software. Summit 360 Virtual Tours operates out of Munroe Falls, Ohio and serves the entire Akron area including Summit, Portage, Geauga, Stark, Medina and Cuyahoga Counties.

Sandy states: “Summit 360 places an emphasis on meeting the needs of business owners. In an age where more people will look for your business on the internet instead of a phone book, a high quality first impression for your business is key to success.” Realtor.com stated in a 2014 article that 92% of home buyers used the internet in their search for a new house. Google has also begun to increase the value of local businesses in search results. An online virtual tour is a fantastic way for business to improve the user experience of their website and help boost their search engine rankings.

Sandy’s proven track record of quality photography and commitment to top notch customer service has officially earned her RTV’s T4 photography accreditation. Congratulations Sandy and every one at Summit 360 Virtual Tours! We are proud of your accomplishments and look forward to many more years of working with you.

As both virtual tour photographers and entrepreneurs we look for ways to grow our businesses and take them to new heights. So here’s my question…Have you considered taking your photos and videos to new heights?

The demand for aerial photos and videos is growing rapidly. Businesses want aerial photos and videos for TV ads and company promotional videos because they capture the attention of consumers, special events want a hot new perspective, surveyors want help, as well as many other potential customers. They are all looking for aerial photography and videos. So how do we capitalize on this growing demand?

In this webinar I am going to touch on the basics of what you need to know about this business as well as a hot new piece of equipment that got me excited about looking at the field of aerial photography and videography once again.

We know that there has been a lot of talk about regulations to the point we are not sure if we even want to get in to this field. There are many business startups capitalizing on this rapidly growing field of aerial photography and videography and I sure wouldn’t want to see any RTV tour providers miss out on profiting from this business.

During the IMAGE webinar I will also be giving away TWO FREE TOUR CREDITS. You have to be present and participate to win.

I am Considering A Career In Photography, But How Can I Make Money?

The popularity of photography has exploded in recent years. The immediate feedback of modern digital cameras and availability of information online has shortened the learning curve immensely. One of the most common questions by enthusiastic hobbyists is “How do I make money with photography?”. Even seasoned professionals are looking for new ways to sell photos or their services. There are several factors to consider before you make the plunge.

Is my photography good enough to get paid for taking photos?

This is one of the toughest questions to answer for someone who is first considering a career in professional photography. It is difficult to see your work objectively. Those around you also can be biased, or may want to support you completely. They may offer you partial feedback, or may hesitate to be completely honest for fear of discouraging you and hurting your feelings.

Honest feedback can sometimes be painful. As a professional photographer you must be able to take direction from clients (after all you are being paid to capture their vision), and also not take it personally when things do not turn out exactly as hoped.

One of the best ways to learn to accept and take advantage of criticism is to join a local camera club. These folks are often very honest (in a constructive manner), and they will challenge you to photograph subjects which may not interest you. Taking great photos of subject matter you like, and being able to produce great images of a subject you aren’t really passionate about, are two vastly different things. Separating your emotions and objectively looking at your work is critical to your future success.

Participating in art shows or contests can also be a way to get honest feedback. Keep in mind their critiques are a way to help you improve and should never be taken personally.

Volunteering your photography to nonprofits or even offering some free photos for a friend who runs a business is a great way to test the waters, and will also provide the opportunity to get honest feedback. Many photographers start out taking family portraits. Getting out with your camera as much as possible and getting honest feedback is the quickest way to improve and prepare yourself for a career in photography.

What other skills do I need to be a successful photographer?

Honestly most folks enter the arena of professional photography with the misconception that they will be shooting photos more than anything else. That just isn’t the case. Remember you will be running a business. This means you will be in charge of scheduling, customer service, promoting, accounting and every other aspect of owning your own company.

Photoshop and Lightroom (and other photo related software) are very powerful tools for photographers today. What escapes most people who are considering a career in photography is that image management, and post processing will be a huge part of the workload. After image editing and business duties are done, most photographers are actually shooting around 25% or less of actual working time. Unless of course they have the resources to get help managing these other tasks.

Ways to make money taking pictures

There are several common avenues that people pursue in photography. I will mention a handful here but in no way is this a comprehensive list.

Wedding Photography – This type of photography requires a very creative person who can adjust to problems “on the fly”. High energy and an eye for style are critical. This is definitely one area to slowly get your feet wet. While there are plenty of people looking for cheap wedding photographers, these situations tend to create a ton of headaches. If you are interested in wedding photography I would suggest finding a professional and establishing a relationship with them. Working as an assistant is a great way to learn the skills needed to succeed.

Portrait Photography – This realm of photographer also requires a highly creative person that can adjust to situations quickly. As with wedding photography it requires a strong ability to work closely with strong personality types. One perk of portrait photography is less pressure. In most cases if need be the shoot can be redone. The same cannot be said of wedding photography.

Stock Photography – Selling photos online via stock agencies is a popular choice. Stock photography is providing photos to an agency on speculation that someone will need an image similar to what you are providing. The hope is that business owners or designers will purchase the rights to use your photographs for their websites, brochures and other media. Being a successful stock photographer is a real challenge. It is important when trying to sell stock photography online that you keep up with fashion trends and cultural trends of what people are looking for. A common misconception is that a photographer can take any photos they want upload them and they will sell. While stock agencies may accept images of any subject, there are only so many sunset or nature images that will sell. Images of trendy people using the latest tech gadgets are in much higher demand. Unfortunately paying for models is not cheap especially based on speculation the resulting image might make the photographer money.

Virtual Tour Photography – Taking photos of homes for sale, or businesses to be featured on line is a great avenue to make money in photography. You will work closely with real estate agents and business owners to provide high quality images of properties that will be featured on websites and virtual tours. Virtual tour photographers have the luxury of less pressure than wedding photographers without the risk of photos not selling as may happen with stock photography. There is some specialized equipment and software that is required but the total cost to start a virtual tour business is very reasonable.

Are you ready to learn more about making money as a virtual tour photographer?

RTV is the industry leader in the virtual tour market place. Our custom virtual tour platform is easy to use and very versatile. We offer hands on training of the software, and with our ever expanding Rock Point Marketing program you will have access to training and marketing materials to teach you the ins and outs of becoming a successful real estate photographer. A free trial is available for those who would like to test drive our system. If making money as a photographer interests you and you would like more information about partnering with a company that can help you succeed contact us today!

If taking your photography to the next financial bracket sounds good to you, this blog is for you!

I know this is a crazy busy time for RE photographers. That is why this is the perfect time to delve into the new virtual home staging platform RTV has implemented.

In my market about 20% of my virtual tour shoots are for vacant homes. Another 10% are new homes models or specs. Another way to look at it is that there is potential to double my photography income 30% of the time. I shoot about 40 homes per month… so when I virtually stage a home, I stage an average of five pictures at $75 each. I can use an extra $375 on top of my photography fee.

I also like being the vehicle that helps home owners get their property sold faster! On the last RTV webinar we talked about how being a one-stop shop is a sure-fire way to grow your virtual tour business while helping others. RTV’s platform is filled with amazing property marketing services such as Virtual Home Staging designed to help you create customers for life while increasing your income.

So what is the best way to close the virtual staging sale? Agents know the key to showings is quality staging and MLS photos. As a photographer you will have either direct access to the broker or home owner. Most reputable agents have already done their best to coach sellers on staging while some provide minimal staging. Some sellers just don’t have the money for traditional staging, but still need quality marketing for their pictures.

So in a nutshell I always am prepared when shooting vacant homes. While I don’t shoot tethered as often as I used to, I will when shooting a vacant home so that I can hand my iPad to the seller or broker. They see the vacant rooms that I am shooting. So a bit into the shoot I will show them a listing with before and after pics that have been virtually staged. Then I remind them where it is syndicated to and that the cost is about 1/10 the cost of traditional staging.

Using this marketing approach with the larger iPad and showing them the difference in activity to the tour for a virtually staged home results in a closing ratio of over 50% for staging orders. Then it’s about 2 hours extra to stage the pictures ($200 per hour definitely fits in my pay scale).